I didn't not feel that great this morning despite sleeping great and feeling good before I swam. I misread Tom's workout which was in scy while I am training LCM and the 200s after the warmup set I did on very short intervals and paid the price as the workout went on. I was whooped and at the end struggled to hold a 1:20 base pace today.

after the kids workout today we went on a really cool hike to devils kitchen which was just stunning. The weather was awesome and our kids really enjoyed the hike. Thus far the kids training camp has gone great and I am having a lot of fun.

Trying to get back into shape after hiatus. Been back in the pool for two months now, building distance, nothing too strenuous, trying not to pay attention to the clock. Today was a "boring" pair of long sets, but the focus on counting strokes per length really helped distract me. Without exaggerating the glide I was still able to keep the count to 15 strokes or less each length (SCY)... Some of the 100s even totaled 57-58 strokes at the end. Last week I was losing form at the end and bringing the hundreds i'm at 63 strokes.

Yesterday I traveled with 30 15-18 year olds to Grand Junction for a 10 day training camp. To keep the costs down for the kids we flew to Denver and drove over the Rockies to Grand Junction. The flight and drive were uneventful and despite not being a big fan of driving a passenger van I had an absolute blast. The scenery across Colorado through Breckinridge, Vale and Aspen was spectacular. The kids were terrific and we laughed and joked the whole way.

Today was was my first altitude practice and I deliberately just stretched everything out and did not push too hard.

Again, various swimming with no structure in the workout. It was hot and the water close to 88.

worked out with weights yesterday. trying to gain back my strength and weight (was 160, 164 now, should be 170+) as I have been super busy since last October. feel fatigued often but I push through it. Vacation planned soon (Aruba ) after I get back from a couple weeks in spain for work. If I still feel drained it will be time for a checkup

"Why was I disqualified in my butterfly event"? Most swimmers agree that butterfly is one of the most difficult strokes to swim, so it is not surprising that we get lots of questions about the rules. Here we break down the rules for the butterfly stroke and some of the common reasons for disqualifications.

Beginning with body position, the rules say that after the start and after each turn, the swimmer's shoulders must be at our past the vertical toward the breast. (In one location, it says that the body must be "on the breast", but this is one of the confusing points in how the rules are worded. We use this language because it matches the FINA wording, but if you look closely "on the breast" in this context means the same thing as "towards the breast".) The swimmer is permitted one or more butterfly kicks underwater (but only one breaststroke kick), but only one arm pull, which must bring the swimmer to the surface. At the start of the first pull, the body must be on the breast.

Does that mean that I can leave the wall on my side or without being perfectly on the breast? Yes, it does. Does that mean I can kick butterfly on my side underwater before I take the first pull? Yes, that is also permissible, as long as the body is on the breast at the first pull.

Can I kick underwater as long as I want? No, because the rules also say that the head must break the surface of the water by the 15-meter mark after the start and after each turn.

The arms must recover over the surface of the water. The glossary defines "arm" as the part of the body from the wrist to the elbow. Therefore, some part of the arm from the wrist to the elbow must clear the water surface during each stroke.

A common infraction is when swimmers are attempting to recover the arms by moving them forward, but the body position is such that the arms don’t break the surface the water before beginning the recovery. It is not sufficient for only the hands to break the surface, some part of the arm from the wrist to elbow must break the surface while the arms are moving forward during the recovery phase of the stroke. This does not mean that the entire arm must clear the surface of the water or that there needs to be a space between the bottom of the arm and the water surface. Typically, the officials will see this infraction clearly when standing behind the swimmer, but it can be called from the sides as well.

Another common infraction occurs when swimmers take a partial stroke, then move the arms forward underwater from the breast before finishing the propulsive phase of the stroke. Sometimes this happens prior to a touch at the wall before the turn or finish. It most commonly occurs with incorrect body position or breathing and results from not being able to complete the propulsive part of the stroke without an adjustment.

All movements of the arms must be simultaneous. That means that arms must consistently move together during all phases of the stroke, backward during the propulsive part and forwards during the recovery. Does that mean that they must be perfectly symmetrical? Not necessarily, but if the official observes one arm clearly ahead of or behind the other arm, that may constitute an infraction. A one arm pull, freestyle stroke, or other type of stroke would be a more obvious non-simultaneous arm pull.

Reaching up to adjust the goggles? Also a non-simultaneous action. Stopping in the middle of the pool to catch a breath or wave to a friend? Definitely non-simultaneous movements of the arms.

At the wall, a legal touch may be made at, above, or below the surface of the water, but must be made with two hands simultaneously. A one hand touch is not only a common infraction, but it is also one of the easiest things for an official to spot. The hands must be separated when the touch is made. In other words, the hands cannot be stacked on top of each other.

Once a legal touch is made, the swimmer may turn in any manner desired. Stopping momentarily after the touch to hang on the wall and catch your breath? Thankfully, that is legal! As long as the body is toward the breast when the feet the leave the wall after the turn. However, walking on the bottom of the pool or leaving the pool is not legal in any stroke.

What if I make a legal touch, stand on the bottom of the pool for a moment, and then push off the wall? You might be surprised to learn that this is legal. Although the rules say that it is not legal to stand on the bottom of the pool during the stroke in any stroke other than freestyle, the action described here occurs during the turn, not the stroke. And, the rules say that a swimmer may turn in any manner desired once a legal touch is made. Standing on the bottom before or after the turn is illegal, but during the turn is OK.

I had a great night of sleep last night and felt really good this morning other than tightness across my shoulders. I am so overdue a massage I am thinking this will be a gift to myself I will arrange for when I get back fro my Colorado.

I was particularly sore across my back and shoulders this morning. There was a life guard class going on at the pool early so I swam early. I used the warmup and pull set to stretch out and did feel much better as I swam further.

Yesterday Tom agreed to put pads in the pool this morning and we suited up for some fast swimming. I felt pretty good during warmup and swam great for where we are in the season; I was really pleased with where I am.

we then suited up and did 3 swims. Since I have not really gone all out since the surgery I have gradually been increasing both distance and intensity over the past few months. One area I have not really got to yet was dive Sprints. Today I choose to swim the 100 free, 50 free and 50 back. We swam about 200-300 between swims and these were on a pretty short rest interval for dive sprinting.

100 free 59.3. I was hoping to be under 1:01 so this was a really nice swim and until about 75 I felt awesome and then the elephant jumped on my back. I am not swimming this in Budapest due to the event lineup but I like swimming this LCM and I think it's a good gauge as to where I am right now.

50 free 27.0. This would have read so much better as 26.9 but it was another good swim and other than breathing way too much I felt awesome.

50 Back 31.8. I kicked out way to far on this 50 and came up too deep. Despite this it was a great swim and I was very happy.

This is the first time I have really gone for it and was a little apprehensive but I was very relieved that I was completely pain free in my elbow.

I am heading to Colorado on Tuesday for a 10 day altitude camp with my senior group and hope to swim and train in between there workouts. It's going to be a busy 10 days.

I slept hard last night and would have slept through my alarm if it were not for my awesome wife waking me up and giving me a coffee. I normally don't drink coffee before practice(I make up for it after practice) but this morning it was exactly what I needed.

I felt ok during warmup and about half of the main set today but was really tired from that point on. Despite being tired I had a good workout.

I was holding 1:08-1:09 on the 100s, using the IM as active recovery(but these still hurt) and was going 2:50s, and then choose to do back,free,back,free on the 50's by round. On the back I was :35-:36 and on the free I was :33s. My arms felt really tired towards the end of this set. I was not expecting Tom to throw 4 100s afap with fins at us and I must have pulled a funny face because he made a sarcastic comment about me not wanting to do these. The guy in the lane next to me was one of our faster young guys and he likes to race so I had to go for it on the free. I was :56 on the first and :55 on the last 100 which hurt so bad. On the back I was 1min and :59. I was hoping to go under 1:05 which I obviously did but I was very surprised how quick my back was because it felt horrible.

Some readers want to tell their own stories. (Hint: We love getting humorous or light-hearted first-person essays for the Hot Tub.) Some nominate a teammate or ask about a swimmer they saw at nationals. Some have training or sports medicine or rules questions, and those evolve into article topics.

Some swimmers share their stories in the hope of providing inspiration or encouragement to others who might be struggling.

In this issue, John Ramos of Masters of Yucaipa in Southern California shares with writer Gretchen M. Sanders how swimming has helped him in his struggle with PTSD following the San Bernardino terrorist attack (Swimming Life, page 6).

Some readers reach out with questions or concerns about products, and ideas evolve from there.

Gina Pond in Chicago was frustrated with not being able to find swimsuits that fit her and wasn’t seeing swimmers of size featured in our publications. Elaine K. Howley spoke with Pond about body image issues and her quest for inclusivity (Bewitching Belief, page 18).

Sometimes we get emails with interesting professional signatures, prompting us to ask, “Hey, what’s it like being a (winemaker, oboe player, xenobiologist) and can we write about you?”

Many readers want practical advice on how to swim faster or more efficiently.

In this issue’s technique feature (page 24), Jeff Commings writes that you can go wider with your breaststroke out-sweep, providing you back it up with a powerful kick. So, if you’re still mentally scraping the insides of a salad bowl, try his tips for more power in the armstroke. (I swear just reading that article has already improved my breaststroke.)